Seattle Raises Minimum Wage Rate in 2018

February 1018:332018

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Tucked away among the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and home to many liberal-minded people, Seattle is a city that tends to be two steps ahead of conventional advancements. With the legalization of gay marriage in 2012, Washington State recognized marriage licenses and general rights for same-sex couples three years before the federal government granted legal recognition to gay couples nationwide. That same year, Washington State also ruled that cannabis could be used for medicinal and recreational purposes. The nation still does not recognize marijuana as a legal substance, whereas Washington State has done so for six years now. Another area in which Washington State – Seattle in particular – is more advanced is the realm of minimum wage.

Minimum wage depends on rulings within state-level government systems. Every state differs in terms of minimum wage rates. The established minimum wage for the state of Washington currently sits at $11.50/hour as of 2018. Massachusetts trails behind Washington State at $11/hour, with New York coming in third at $10.40/hour. Washington not only leads the nation with the highest minimum wage but the evergreen state is on the move to reach $15/hour in due time. The increase is intended to be gradual, with the minimum wage being increased incrementally over the years. The phasing element is necessary to avoid any jarring effects it could elicit within small businesses. Introducing something like a pay raise could pose drastically negative measures without plenty of preparation time. The increase in pay is a marvelous example of forward thinking and Washington State has all the pieces worked out in order to execute the plan lucratively.

ATLAS Workbase recently released a blog post discussing the intricate details. The rate of pay for minimum wage jobs in Washington State is on the rise and ATLAS delves even further into how the adjustment pertains to Seattle here. The concise explanation points to an ordinance that the highly populated city enacted by Mayor Murray in April of 2015. There are many complexities that come into play on the matter but ATLAS has all the answers to your questions.